The lumber business expanded after railroads reached the area, improving access to markets.

It lies at the northern edge of the area known as the Sandhills region, and developed resorts in the late 19th century, aided by railroads.

Since the early 21st century, Moore County comprises the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Moore County is a part of the Fayetteville-Lumberton-Pinehurst, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 693,299 in 2023, making it the 75th-largest CSA in the United States.

[2][3] Archeological evidence indicates Siouan Native Americans inhabited the area eventually comprising Moore County from the early 500s until the 1600s.

In subsequent years, settlers of English, Ulster Scots, and German origin arrived by way of the Great Wagon Road and from the Cape Fear River valley, with most choosing to reside in the northern section of the eventual county.

Settlers in the northern portion of the eventual county generally supported the Patriots, while the Highlands Scots in the southeastern area were mostly Loyalists.

It was named after Alfred Moore, an officer in the Revolutionary War and a later associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1796, a law was passed designating the county seat at a new community to be known as Carthage,[7] where the courthouse was eventually moved in 1814.

[4] In 1877, the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was established and laid through Moore, leading to the creation of new communities.

Logging of the local pines increased and the rail towns of Cameron, Manly, Keyser, and Aberdeen were built to ship the lumber.

[10] With large swathes of lands cleared and transportation links well-established, new health resort towns and mineral spas were created, such as Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Pinebluff, and Jackson Springs.

The number of courses expanded over the years and drew in wealthy vacationers from New England and the Mid-Atlantic, who built seasonal homes in Pinehurst and Southern Pines.

[15] Additionally, the county lies within the Sandhills region,[16] and about two-thirds of its land are host to sandy soils.

[16] For the first time, the census classified the municipalities of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Pinebluff, Taylortown, and Whispering Pines as constituting a contiguous urban area, due to the combined population of those areas exceeding 50,000 people.

[28] The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management projected in 2023 that the county's population will grow to be 146,972 in 2040 and 170,097 in 2050.

As of December 2022, the county hosts 15,812 registered Democrats, 31,387 Republicans, four members of the Green Party, 613 Libertarians, and 28,112 unaffiliated voters.

[16] Healthcare and social assistance, accommodation and food services, and retail are the largest-employing private sectors in Moore.

[51] According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 40.8 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.